Changi Chapel

Hudson Taylor, the pioneer missionary to China’s interior, wrote of the sweetness of the rest he felt in being fully identified with Jesus.

He said he was no longer anxious about anything – that no matter where God put him, no matter how hard the constraints or pressures, God’s Presence within him would be equal to the task.

Somehow he had learned how to rest and let the Spirit flow through him.  That’s one of the benefits of the Presence, if we can learn to rest and let the Spirit live in us fully.

In order to do that, we have to be able to trust in the goodness of His purposes, even when our path takes unexpected turns.

In some respects, it can be hard work to rest in Him. Resting in Him gets easier with practice. At first it goes against our normal tendencies, but over time it becomes less of a conscious choice and more of a default posture.

We’re so used to striving and straining that the idea of resting in Him seems irresponsible and unnatural.

But when we see the fruit of it, we realize it was irresponsible and unnatural to do anything else. 

Choose rest. Let Jesus live in you.

Insist that the vine bear fruit through the branch.

Resting in Jesus – abiding in Him – always brings forth fruit. Have you experienced that reality today?

Chris Tiegreen
Author/Bible Teacher

© Chris Tiegreen. Excerpted and adapted from his devotional "Experiencing God’s Presence" .

Your comments, thoughts or suggestions are welcome. The body text is by the author, the header and the words in italics are mine – John B. Samuel